MeanGreenZ28

Hella 500FF's installed!!! It was a real tight fit and had to mount them on the bumper instead of the stock location (bumper beam). The stock units mounted on top (where the beam is) but if I turned the Hella's upside down, the light pattern would suffer, so I had to drill into the bumper; it's not the best solution, but it works. Kind of a tight fit so the top of the light hits the bumper beam too.

PorterCable 7424 random orbital I borrowed from a friend. Just when I finished with the borrowed set, another friend who's one damn good detailer sold me his older PorterCable 7336 random orbital and Dewalt DW849 rotary (with a whole bunch of pads/etc.) for $225, lol. I used Adams VRT for the rails. I basically brings out the shine/black of any Vinyl/Rubber/Tire surface. Although for some trim pieces that the rubber had fallen off and was showing the metal underneath, I used PlastiDip spray rubber. Pretty easy to work with and you can peel it off if your not satisfied with it. People have been painting their whole cars! ... and then stripping it off when they wanna return to stock, lol

Replaced the front fog lights with Hella 500FF units this weekend. The stock units were crap and cracked. The Hella's are much brighter. Will post pics soon, couldn't get the car out of the garage to get a good view for a pic 'cos the battery had died. Put a trickle charger on it so it should be done tomorrow.

awesome work Ripper! Gonna put a grille to protect the cone?

Looking good!

Start with an old Kenstar BMX and see how it goes. They dont make them like they used to! lol j/k

Actually, most of that is considering my policy here in the USA, not sure if SL insurance companies help their customers the same.

check with your insurance to see if they have an uninsured motorist clause in the policy. I know I do and hit and runs are usually covered under that, or when fault cannot be determined by an investigation. Also check with your insurance company on what you could do. Sometimes, they could fix your car and may go after the owner of the other car.

get a leather repair kit, not sure where you can get it in SL though

ask and you shall recieve!!! lol Literally spent like 6-8hrs with the polisher getting it to look like this. Had I not used a polisher, my hands would have fallen off. I guess the previous owners werent that good drivers 'cos the front and back bumpers have a lot of scratches and bumps. Will be painting the front middle section black to match the back, so that'll hide some of it. still some rust that I need to take care of when I get the time, but in general, the engine bay is clean... Roof rails restored to a nice black color... Headlights polished a bit to get some of that haze and yellow out of it, still not perfect but it'll pass inspection. Will wet sand it and buff it out to look good as new when I get the time later... Paint splattered on the dash; previous owner used to paint houses or something like that. Much better than it was, still working on it.

I do. just because it's a rare car that's sought after by BMW enthusiasts, it still doesn't make it a "super ultra luxury car". It was definitely a world class grand tourer in its day and is still a sight to see on the streets.

I doubt a BMW 840ci is considered in this league

Awesome work man, love seeing old cars being restored!

Started on getting the paint shining again. Got a friend's polisher so my hands dont fall off. It's gonna be a long journey, there's scratches EVERYWHERE!!! Will post pics as I go along

Good point and well said bro

If you already have a security system, something that people have done is hide an old phone that can run a certain GPS application and hook up a charger to a battery feed. They use a prepaid plan. Logging onto the website will show you real time data on your account and keep track of everywhere it's been. http://m.gizmodo.com/5691724/how-to-track-your-vehicle-on-the-cheap

<<<getting up on my podium ... *testing testing, mic check*>>> Ayubowan, not gonna join the bickering but here's my take on this. I've been with AL for a VERY long time; from the early days of the old board and although my post count isn't as high as some of you that joined after me, I could still consider myself a veteran here that's experienced/seen most everything going on. Purely from a standpoint of an "automotive" forum, there isn't much going on here. Why do I say that? because as an enthusiast, you tend to want to see others working on projects and talking about their next, showing off their ride or commenting on others ... y'know what you do when enthusiasts meet up in a parking lot somewhere and swap stories, etc. Since this is not a make/model specific forum, in one way you expect to see a whole variety of rides but unfortunately, you barely see anybody elses cars. People here seem to be worried more about "this guys car" or "that guys car" or "how many EVO's in SL" or "what's the fastest car in SL" or something of that nature. I know these are valid topics but fankly after the first couple of "how many *insert make/model here" in SL" you kind of get sick of it. this is why I even post up the corniest of projects I work on, to get some blood flowing in here. Common, who wants to see me take out the same damn engine I put in a week ago since I didn't go through the whole thing before I put it in? probably nobody, lol, but it's an experience of "MINE" that I'm sharing, not me telling you'll about a car belonging to some guy who doesn't even know me. This is why I tend to gravitate towards threads made by Duncan (where is he anyway), Mani, Master Don and the few others who actually get their hands dirty or post up about their first hand experiences. "so what's your top speed?" ... lol <<<***steps down from his podium***>>>

Here's the new bulb leads fed through the holder... Here's where you start gently weaving it back up... go outwards and up though the slot ... and then back down then back down through the hole towards the side Then, fold if outwards again and cut off the excess. It's the same with the other longer one. And then you'd end up with the same final product you started with Now make sure you mount the bulbs properly and that the leads are making contact with the mounts and put it all back together. Remember to position the post of the white slider in the middle of its range and also the rocker switch should be in the middle of its range. Snapping it back together takes a bit of gentle effort. I would position the lower section as pictured and gently lower the top/rocker portion onto it (making sure it's the correct direction) and then give it a good firm push till it snaps. THERE YOU GO!

It gets a bit hairy here but gently pull the tabs apart and take the rear section of the switch off. Be gentle, you don't wanna break the tabs... pic below shows the tabs I'm talking about. Below is what you'd find when you take the bottom off. The white slider has a little post that slips into a slot on the rocker switch. The contacts on the bottom usually fall apart (well it did when I took it apart), so I included a pic of how it goes back together too. Now you see the bulbs in their little rubber holders. The tall one is the indicator and the shorter one is the illumination. Do it one at a time so you don't get confused on which one's which and where they go. The leads are fed through the middle and then sort of woven through the base so that it makes contact with the posts that it's mounted on. Hard to explain, easy to figure out ... and I have pics. Here is the old bulb taken off the Holder...

When I figured out that I had to replace the bulbs (long story, shortened, to follow), I searched hi and lo for answers and came up with non, and only found some really old posts with missing pics/etc. and I decided to do a public service and take pics when I did the second switch, lol. This was done on a Subaru Legacy Outback, but should be pretty generic in terms of the steps taken, hope it helps someone in the future. A bit of background...if you don't want the boring stuff, just scroll down to the pics, lol Started off with having no illumination and no indicator when the seat heater was turned on. I didn't leave the switches on long enough to even try and feel the seats heat up; car is pretty new to me and it's still not on the road yet. Searched the typical keywords and got "some" answers on the diagrams and what fuses/etc. feed the switch. Checked them all; they were good so I turned my attention to the switch itself. Why didn't I check the switch first? well, with no illumination and no indication on BOTH switches, who would've though all 4 went out, it was much easier to think it was a fuse! lol. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised when I verified that there was power at the switch and verified the illumination feed too; so I turned to the bulbs. At first I took the top (rocker) section apart and out came flying the tiny little ball the makes it a positive action ... ooops, luckily I saw it fall in my toolbox drawer. Put that end back together and soldiered on! Now comes the guide.... I understand that in SL, you're not gonna find a RadioShack, lol, but I left the link up so you know what you're supposed to use. * Parts required, 1 * #272-1092 per switch; pack of 2 * 12V/60mA Microlamps from RadioShack ... http://www.radioshac...oductId=2103780 * Tools I used was a pick and needle nose pliers First take the center console piece off the car and unplug it all and take a seat at your kitchen table above is what you see, press the two tabs on both sides and pop the switch off of the console plate. Then, you'll get what you see below... part #2 to follow, 'cos AL doesn't let me post more than a few pics at a time

Fixed the a/c compressor line o-rings and charged up the system. Blows nice and cold now. Also installed a new fuel filter while I was at it and dumped a can of fuel system cleaner in the tank. Also replaced the bulbs in the seat heater switches. Long story but I thought it was a fuse or something bigger cos I didn't think 4 bulbs could have all gone out at the same time, but it ended up being a simple job in the end. Will post up about it later so it may be helpful to someone else. Was thinking of selling it, but I'm getting too fond of having it around lol

Seriously? In Baltimore here! You attend any SLA events?

lol

wow that car is CLEAN for that age, you must be in a sunshine state. Good job

Engine's run at certain temperatures for emissions requirements. Run them lower and some of the pollutants don't get burned; but a cooler running engine is a better running engine. Either way, it's the thermostats job to keep it at optimum temp so only installing a lower degree thermostat is going to make the engine run cooler (considering everything else is working). And guys, seriously, someone's trying to genuinely help and your disregard for any idea new or out of the norm is sad. Also Cyclist, either you didn't even read the previous discussion about adding 2T oil in a 4-stroke car or your reading and comprehension skills need some serioues improvement. not trying to start anything, just stating the obvious